Repairs to historic North Bridge delayed again to 2026

North Bridge links the Old and New towns of Edinburgh and has been under refurbishment since 2018

An over budget project to refurbish a historic bridge in Edinburgh is facing a fresh delay.

Work on the Category A-listed North Bridge began in 2018 to help safeguard its long-term use.

It was estimated the project would cost £22m but it is now thought the bill for the overhaul will be at least £85m after years of delays.

Edinburgh City Council last year said work would be completed by November 2025 but has now pushed this back to spring 2026.

Contractors found the bridge in a much worse condition than expected when work began to repair or replace its 6,300 steel sections.

The impact of the Covid pandemic and ensuring the bridge is capable of taking any future tram lines in the city have also been blamed for the delays and cost overruns.

The North Bridge was built in 1897 - by the same firm which built the Forth Bridge - as a city centre link between the Old and New Towns.

The last major refurbishment was in 1933 and some areas of the structure have not been accessed since the bridge had been completed.

Specialist contractors are restoring the bridge's cast iron works which have not had any repairs since they were repainted in 1990

In November last year, the City of Edinburgh Council told BBC Scotland that a total of £72.5m had been spent on the project to date with the estimated final cost expected to be £85.6m.

The council also said that it was expected to be finished by November this year.

Now it is expected the work will be substantially completed by spring next year and fully finished by the summer.

Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, the council's transport convener, said: "When we installed scaffolding to gain access to areas not worked on for 125 years it became clear very quickly that more repairs would be required than initially anticipated.

"This has impacted on the length and the cost of the project as well as other factors such as the Covid pandemic and cost of rising inflation.

"We know that these works have taken longer than we had initially anticipated, and are grateful to the local business community, residents and commuters for their patience."